Career Exploration

Learning Objectives:

After this assignment, you should be able to:

1. Identify the occupational attributes that are important in your career choice.

2. Analyze your thoughts and feelings about career choices.

3. Develop and enhance your ability to successfully gather and compare occupational information to reduce career indecision.

4. Evaluate and prioritize your career goals.

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Upon completion of your degree, the goal is to obtain professional employment or to advance your professional career. The purpose of this assignment is to enhance your career exploration skills and to increase your occupational knowledge and decision-making self-efficacy. The assignment provides an opportunity to carefully consider your career goals, gather and compare occupational information, and record your reflections, thoughts, and feelings by focusing on six occupational considerations.

Assignment

Explore job postings on the internet and select a position in a location where you would like to work and qualify for upon completing your degree. If you do not have the requisite qualifications, experience, or desire to live in that geographic location, select a different position. Once a position is selected, compose a paper (minimum five pages) with the following requirements:

1. Include in the first three pages an evaluation of the following occupational considerations: challenge, compensation, culture, location, opportunity for advancement, and purpose (definitions provided below) relative to the selected position. In addition, if you selected a career because you were influenced by someone you know, include a brief discussion of how this affected your decision. Please center and bold without underlines each occupational consideration.

2. On the fourth page, include a copy of the posting/advertisement you selected.

3. On the fifth page, include a copy of your current resume. Hint: Your resume should only be one page. I will review to ensure you qualify for the selected position.

4. Save your paper as follows with the last four of your student ID followed by EXP (e.g., 4414EXP.docx).

Please use the following occupational considerations as a framework for your paper.

Occupational Considerations

Challenge: Jobs can run the gamut of exceedingly challenging to incredibly easy. In a challenging job, you are likely to be constantly busy, you may work a significant amount of overtime, and you are generally under pressure in a specified time. In an easy job, there is little to no stress and the days may seem to drag on – you basically show up and get paid. Evaluate your posting with regard to your preference of the level of challenge by considering some of the following job-related attributes: importance of attaining goals, task difficulty, demanding position, outcome controllability, time pressures, stress levels, performance-based pay.

Compensation (Financial Rewards): Compensation is the financial reward you expect to earn for your services, including salary, insurance, vacation pay, retirement, and other benefits. It is highly unlikely the position posting will list all financial rewards. Based on the position you selected, you should research the following compensation related attributes: starting salary, long-term salary range, commissions or bonuses, retirement plans, stock options, medical and dental insurance, and tuition reimbursement. Once you have an idea of the position’s compensation and benefits, evaluate their importance to you in selecting the position. Remember, your expected compensation should be in the form of a salary (e.g., $35,000 per year) rather than an hourly rate.

Culture (Working Environment): Culture is the internal environment of the company, encompassing how they treat their employees, their ethical practices, work life balance, and physical working conditions. To understand a little about company culture, you might read ratings from the job posting from current and past employees. You are trying to evaluate whether the company culture is a fit for you. For example, Innovation First in Greenville serves beer to their employees after 4PM. For some that may be important, for others it may not be. After determining the culture, evaluate the importance of the company’s culture in selecting the position. You may consider some of the following job culture attributes: company values, working hours per week, work-life balance, inclusive and collaborative, transparency, communication and feedback, nurturing, motivating, progressive, flexibility, company image, risk/safety conscious, passion, autonomy, and professional/casual atmosphere.

Location: Location is primary physical location where you work. When evaluating location, consider and discuss attributes such as climate, daily commute, distance from family/loved ones, proximity to your home and/or cultural and sporting events, the arts, etc. Generally, you will fall into one of three job location preferences, willing to go anywhere; open to several locations, but not willing to work just anywhere; or needing to stay close to home.

Opportunities for Advancement (Career Prospects): You might also read this as potential for growth within the company. When evaluating opportunities for advancement, consider the size and location of the company relative to your other criteria. Ask yourself how important growing with the current company or future company is for you. When thinking about opportunities for advancement, you should consider training opportunities for the current company as well as short and long-term promotion potential.

Purpose (Intrinsic Value): Purpose represents the belief(s) that you have overarching aim (e.g., contribute to society) that informs the development of goals and goal-oriented behaviors. When you have purpose, you are creating or doing something, feel energized, and motivated. If you consider your work a “calling” rather than “just” a job, your work has purpose.